ECI’s Statement of Culture

ECI’s staff, board members and partners don’t all share the same time zone, continent, or language. Our shared organizational culture is the ethical foundation that bridges these physical divides. To clarify and cement ECI’s culture, our team co-created the statement below via a series of individual surveys, group discussions, and eventually voting for language and prioritization. We are proud to share the ECI Statement of Culture with you – it serves as our guide for how we work, internally and externally.

Definition of Culture:

It’s the “how” – how we work with each other and how we work with others.

It’s not what we say we do, it’s what we do.

Why Culture is Important to ECI:  

Every action and decision we make is driven by providing opportunities that improve the well-being of Congolese people. Culture is the secret sauce to the success of our mission. Our values and behaviors directly affect the outcome of our work.

The 3 Principles of ECI’s Culture:

1) Model Integrity

• We place integrity above all other values for ourselves and our partners.
• To be accountable, we provide and receive feedback with openness, honesty, and good intentions, in a timely manner.
• We model behaviors with each other and partners that engender transparency, inclusivity, and collaboration. We are mindful of our moment-to-moment actions.
• Trust is our bedrock of all productive relationships, within and without of ECI.

2) Serve with Humility and Learning

• We achieve impactful results by providing world-class services and programs. We are constantly evaluating and improving our processes and investing in our staff and partners to successfully execute shared objectives.
• We foster an environment for personal and organizational learning and growth.
• We begin each day with humility and respect for what we know and don’t know, and what we do and what others do.

3) Celebrate and Laugh

• We celebrate each other in both the professional and personal.
• On the road to durable impact, our work can have its challenges. But it is a journey equally full of laughter and joy.